I planted Duchess of Albany in the fall of '07 and it's been very vigorous. As you can see it has pretty much outgrown the trellis it's on. My question is, whats better to do - leave it get big and "fold" back down or prune it as it gets too high? When it folds down it covers so many flowers.... What is your advice?
i would add more height it can climb on. this clem needs a lot of sun so the under areas as it folds over will not be attractive underneath, plus, as you pointed out it is very vigorous...very nice plant! i have seen heavy string, or bamboo canes being taken up from the trellis, maybe at angles outward and upward to spread out the plant....you can train it around that window and up up up.
you can also consider wider trellising from the ground and in the spring when the plants breaks dormancy train the vines way out to the sides from the beginning....this way you can get a lot more coverage as a backdrop to the other plants and have max impact to the blooms. i would do both, go wider and more height. if you can only do one next year, go wider first..you can get a lot of wingspan out of that clem if you train it that way.
this looks a lot like etoile rose (the blooms). etoile rose has a more distinctive outer white margin on the pink bloom, duchess of albany is a white outer margin but more diffused and less precise. i am surprised how similar they are, you are sure yours is a duchess of albany vs etoile rose? not that it matters, they are very similar clems that's all. texensis do well there if that one has been in 2 years,that is really good!, you can add a gravetye beauty, which more people should grow, it is a beautiful tulip shaped deep red texensis....many possibilities. here is etoile rose and prince charles so you can see how similar the flowers are. also check out both on COTW! happy clemming.....great result for 2 years.....just fabulous really.
Thanks CG. I’ll look closer at the flowers tonight and compare them to the ones on COTW. They do look really similar. It was labeled as Duchess, but that doesn't mean it really is. It at least doubled in size since last year. I will definitely go wider with the trellises next year. It’s up against the garage and we get such bad wind there that I’m afraid if I go up over the edge of the garage it will end up getting torn off the trellis. I could add a couple of feet to the top too though. I guess I should try both.
It was a rescue plant when I bought it. Was in such bad shape I wasn’t sure it would even make it. I don’t think it had been watered in a month. So I was really surprised when it took off like it did.
Gravetye Beauty is pretty too. Ah yes – so many clems, but too little room!
Thanks for your help
your texensis is pretty goldf....and spreading it out, and up , is important as texensis is prone to powdery mildew, i forgot to mention this in the first post. so if it folds over and conditions are damp,and without airflow, you could be creating a perfect climate for PM even if it is in full sun. and that is not full full sun near the house, i doubt. just ample sun. you will get more blooms if you train it out and up too so more sun on all the vines.....it is a great rescue, it must have been in the pot for a while and you got lucky!
Good to know about the powdery mildew. It gets sun from about 2:00 PM on for the rest of the day. When I found it, it was in a quart pot and had a good root system and yes, I was lucky!
Didn't realize about PM either. I have Duchess of Albany and Princess Diana still in pots. Would they be prone to PM if growing up a small Magnolia tree/bush. COTW recommends a sheltered , sunny and warm position....Any thoughts?
any texensis is prone to pm. prevention is key by having airflow and sunshine and watering from the ground vs sprinkling. using bayer 3 in one after rainy periods and wet, cloudy weather helps prevent it also. i have not had pm on any clems for 3 years now by following these guidelines...pm is recognized by a grey film on the leaves and lack of vigor can follow.
some perennials are prone such as phlox but it can develop on any annuals or perennials subject to crowding, not airflow and wet damp type weather.
It occurs on my climbing rose. Usually a pruning and spraying with beneficial microbes work....not sure which one works so I do both. Makes me wonder if there would be enough circulation on a tree for those clems.
can't say, but best practice is to use the 3 in one before it occurs in areas you think or know are are prone in times when climate makes it likely to occur. preventing easier than curing. by the time you see it and try and cure it the plant has been compromised and you will have unsightly leaves too.......
Finally got a close up of one of the flowers. Kinda does look like Duchess of Albany to me - what do you think?
i think it is a duchess of A not etoile rose. etoile rose has more of a distinctive white margin, like a french mani if you will. i will photo graph one by tomorrow and post so we can see the difference on the thread....
goldfinch:
Beautiful opening bud you have there.
Janet
Thanks Janet! I do really like the Duchess - just have to control her better next year.
I just went a relooked at the picture I would just provide her with more support, let her grow wild............LOL
Janet
